China’s rise has inevitably raised questions about its foreign policy aims and what they mean for the global order. While the debate is far from settled, one international relations scholar argues there is a better way to understand how China sees itself and the world around it. YCW spoke with Benjamin Ho about “Chinese exceptionalism”—a mindset he calls the key driver of Beijing’s foreign policy—and the struggle for the moral high ground in international politics.
Moderator:
Geoffrey Lien (YCW Singapore)
About Benjamin Ho:
Benjamin Ho is an Assistant Professor with the China Programme and Deputy Coordinator of the MSc (International Relations) programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. He holds a PhD in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also a lecturer of the Master’s courses on international relations of Northeast Asia and Singapore’s foreign policy at RSIS. His research focus includes the study of China’s international relations, with an emphasis on Chinese political worldview and exceptionalism thinking. He is the author of the book China’s Political Worldview and Chinese Exceptionalism: International Order and Global Leadership (Amsterdam University Press, 2021).
Cover image courtesy of: Flickr
Webinar edited by: Joshua Cartwright
